Chapter 55 The Hidden Supreme

And finally, the Basic - Spirit passive skill proved extremely useful.

First, basic-tier passive skills enhance the [Physical Basic Potential] attribute. At every level, psychics have a fixed upper limit for their basic attributes. The higher the class level, the higher the limit, and [Physical Basic Potential] can further raise this attribute cap.

If he remembered correctly, the maximum health for a level 1 Hero-grade Tank class was 1,000. Yet his current health had already reached 1,284, surpassing the Hero-grade class limit and likely coming quite close to the Legend-grade class limit.

At this point, learning basic passives that raised the attribute caps was exceptionally valuable, especially since he genuinely had a chance to reach those ceilings. Getting his health bottlenecked by a cap would be quite frustrating.

Second, basic passives could enhance the quality of his Spirit attribute, granting him stronger resistance against mental-type skills, effective against both crowd control and damage, while also significantly boosting his ability to learn magic-type skills.

Third, a high Spirit attribute could indirectly improve his perception, making it easier for him to develop sharper combat instincts, which held tangible value in actual combat.

[You have acquired skill book: Basic - Spirit]
[Use successful]
[You have acquired general skill: Basic - Spirit]
[Current general skill slots: 2/5]

Basic - Spirit (Passive)
Tier: ★★★
Level: Level 1
Effect: Physical Basic Potential +1, Spirit Intensity additionally increased by 5%, Psionic Energy natural recovery speed increased by 10%.

Soon, a familiar warm current continuously welled up from deep within his body, flowing straight toward his brain. The frozen wasteland of his thoughts instantly collapsed, and his consciousness surged forth like a torrent breaking free from its shackles.

Ye Mingqiu kept his eyes closed, yet he felt as though the outside world remained clearly visible. The perceptual enhancement brought by the mental boost made him feel as if he could see through the very essence of the world.

Of course, this was merely an illusion of rapid improvement over a short period; the enhancement from Basic - Spirit was not actually that immense.

[You have completed all main quests. Do you wish to settle rewards immediately and exit the world?]
[Prompt: You may remain in this world for a maximum of 24 hours]

Ye Mingqiu fell into silence. Originally, he had planned to follow Silver Ji to join the Pure Flame Society, then track down the Crimson Supreme, and finally follow the guidance of the main quests to take that guy down. But... it seemed the main quests did not require fighting the Crimson Supreme.

Clearly, that guy harbored hostility toward him, and clearly, he had already sent people to hunt him down, yet the final ring quest had nothing to do with the Crimson Supreme at all.

It felt rather frustrating.

...

Far across the battlefield, a man wearing a striped shirt, a casual suit, and loafers furrowed his brow as he looked toward the area of conflict.

Tch, seven Blood Pillars dead?

It seems that fellow's strength is even greater than I anticipated. What a pity—I spent a long time cultivating Yinshuo into a talent. He invested all the potential gained from Source Blood into stealth, possessing the ability to easily steal a psychic's equipment, something even I find difficult to detect.

Without a few hundred years, it will probably be almost impossible to cultivate a second talent like him.

"Ding~ Ding~"

The man pulled out his phone, his eyes narrowing slightly when he saw the caller ID marked as Zhao Yulong. That was his boss's name, and he certainly didn't like this boss.

Answering the call, he said, "Hello, Director Zhao, I'd like to request..."

"Hello? What hello, Chen Mo! Are you deaf or is your brain full of water? You still want to take time off? Has your performance quota been met? Have you found clients? Is the company raising you like a pig just to eat for free?"

"And another thing! That new intern! Yes, the one named Xiao Li! This morning, he actually dared to eat the caviar I left in the pantry refrigerator! Three spoonfuls, a full three spoonfuls!"

"That was high-end stuff I had someone bring back from the New Federation! Does he think that's complimentary oatmeal provided by the company? He's as stupid as a pig! You, Chen Mo, as his team leader, how do you manage your people? Are your eyes grown in your ass? You can't even handle a petty matter like this, what use does the company have for you? Do you still want your year-end bonus at the end of the year? Huh? Speak up! Are you mute?!"

[...]

The man sighed, rubbed his temples, and directly hung up the phone, feeling a complex mix of emotions.

It seems I'll have to change bosses again today. Wanting to live a peaceful and long life in this world is truly no easy task.

...

Ruins of an Unfinished Building

Silver Ji walked up to Ye Mingqiu and casually tossed a dark red bead over to him.

"Hm?"

Ye Mingqiu caught the bead.

[Blood Energy Core]
[Type: Item]
[Description: A core possessing rich vitality. Once embedded into the human body, the user will gain a massive amount of life force and acquire a special energy—Blood Energy, with a high probability of becoming a Crimson Recluse, a low probability of digesting the blood energy and life force, and an extremely low probability of obtaining a special hidden class.]

"Where did this come from?"
"It was left behind by that S-rank Crimson Recluse I fought earlier. The moment it saw you enter that state, it didn't even hesitate to pull out its own core and run away." Silver Ji placed one hand on her hip, her gaze toward him somewhat peculiar."

"Thanks."

Ye Mingqiu placed the Blood Energy Core onto the blood spear. The spear instantly lit up with a crimson glow, devouring the blood energy within the core at an extremely rapid pace. As the spear consumed it, the core steadily dimmed until it completely transformed into a pitch-black bead.

[Prompt: The blood spear has fed back pure life energy to you, Health +20]
Health: 1304

The effect was good, though unfortunately not as substantial as killing the creature directly, since this was merely a core.

"You promised to be my recommender and help introduce me to join the Pure Flame Society," Ye Mingqiu said.

Silver Ji swallowed hard, her heart fluttering with panic. Right now, she wasn't even sure if this guy was human; how could she possibly introduce him into the Pure Flame Society? But if she refused, she might very well meet her end here today, and the Pure Flame Society might also suffer some collateral fallout because of it.

"Um... could we change the condition?" she asked weakly.

To this, Ye Mingqiu was not surprised. Now that all his quests were completed, joining the Pure Flame Society was no longer of any use. Switching to a more effective condition would actually benefit him more.

So he said, "Fine, then accompany me to take care of some business for a day."

"Ah? Me?"

Silver Ji pointed at herself in bewilderment. She felt as though her frail body couldn't withstand that kind of frantic brutality, yet at this moment, she didn't dare refuse.

"Is that a problem?" Ye Mingqiu asked rhetorically.

"Alright."

Silver Ji wore a resolute expression, her heart beating at a frantic pace. It seemed she was about to experience an arduous and grueling battle.

...

One day later,

Ye Mingqiu used the blood spear to dispatch yet another Crimson Recluse hidden within human society. Watching it turn into pitch-black fragments, he furrowed his brow slightly.

The remaining 24 hours of his stay were coming to an end, yet he still hadn't found any intelligence regarding the Crimson Supreme, leaving him with zero opportunity for battle. Ye Mingqiu, who had been clutching his return authority and preparing for a desperate, do-or-die fight, found himself with nowhere to vent his power.

This bastard is way too cowardly!
Won't he even show up when all his subordinates are dead?

Fine, you win!